Screen-printed multilayer meander heater on polyester cotton

Screen-printed multilayer meander heater on polyester cotton

Screen-printed multilayer meander heater on polyester cotton

This paper reports for the first time, a flexible heater screen-printed directly on to polyester cotton. Providing additional functionality to common fabrics and consequently garments is the key motivation behind the development of smart textile technologies. Existing textile heaters use conductive fibres woven into the textile for applications such as car seat heating and winter clothing. These applications require the heater to be integrated within the existing weave, which limits the design to follow the warp and weft directions. Screen-printing of functional materials directly on to the garment allows almost complete freedom in design and placement.

This paper describes the development of a meander pattern heater, screen-printed directly on polyester cotton, the most widely used fabric in clothing. An initial insulation layer is printed to reduce the roughness of the textile thus improving the surface quality and electrically insulate the subsequently printed heating conductor. The conductive layer is printed on to the insulation layer to provide the heating element. Finally, an insulation layer is printed on top to provide complete electrical insulation of the conductor layer.

After printing, a voltage was applied to the heater and the temperature of the fabric was measured using a thermocouple and an infrared camera. The fabric was successfully heated to 120°C using a 30V input voltage. By controlling the input voltage and current, it is possible to control the maximum temperature achieved by the heater. For example, 35-40°C would be suitable for winter clothing and can be achieved using a 12V battery

Abstract

This paper reports for the first time, a flexible heater screen-printed directly on to polyester cotton. Providing additional functionality to common fabrics and consequently garments is the key motivation behind the development of smart textile technologies. Existing textile heaters use conductive fibres woven into the textile for applications such as car seat heating and winter clothing. These applications require the heater to be integrated within the existing weave, which limits the design to follow the warp and weft directions. Screen-printing of functional materials directly on to the garment allows almost complete freedom in design and placement.

This paper describes the development of a meander pattern heater, screen-printed directly on polyester cotton, the most widely used fabric in clothing. An initial insulation layer is printed to reduce the roughness of the textile thus improving the surface quality and electrically insulate the subsequently printed heating conductor. The conductive layer is printed on to the insulation layer to provide the heating element. Finally, an insulation layer is printed on top to provide complete electrical insulation of the conductor layer.

After printing, a voltage was applied to the heater and the temperature of the fabric was measured using a thermocouple and an infrared camera. The fabric was successfully heated to 120°C using a 30V input voltage. By controlling the input voltage and current, it is possible to control the maximum temperature achieved by the heater. For example, 35-40°C would be suitable for winter clothing and can be achieved using a 12V battery